Thermostatic controlling-valve.



J. E. FULWEILEIL THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, 28, 1H3.

"1,103,661, Patented July 14,1914.

JOHN EDWIN FULWEILER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLING-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1 1e, 121%..

Application filed November 28, 1913. Serial No. 803,415.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EDWIN FUL- \VEILER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thermostatic Controlling- Valves, of which the following is a specification. a

My invention relates particularly to thermostatically actuated mechanism for automatically operating the fuel controlling Valve in water-heaters, cau'ldrons, ovens and other appliances which may be heated by gas or other suitable fluid, conveyed through valve controlled pipes or conduits, and in which the varying temperature of the medium thereincontained effects the actuation of the thermostatic mechanism and the consequent operation of the valve to increase or diminish the supply of fuel, whereby said medium is maintained at the desired temperature. Y

The principal object. of my invention is to provide simple and efficient mechanism which will effect both the closing and opening of the controlling valve by a quick popping motion of the movable member of said valve toward and from its seat.

Other objects of my invention are to provide means for adjusting the valve controlling mechanism whereby the volume of fuel I admitted through the valve by the thermo' static effect of corresponding predetermined temperatures of the medium contained in the heat containing devices, may be varied as desired; and to providemechanism so correlated that the leimragewf the mechanism in effecting the closing of the valve diminishes and produces the greatest speed of said valve when in the position closely adjacent to'its seat.

My invention further includes all of the .various novel features of construction and ready to close thepassageway through the view similar to Figs. 2 and 3, showing the' valve disk in its open position and the valve actuating lever in position to effect the popping movement of said disk to its closed position.

In the embodiment of my invention which is herein exemplified, the thermostatic actuation of the cooperative parts is effected by the well known form comprising a closed tube 5 of high coefficient of expansion extending into the receptacle or vessel 6, containing the liquid or fluid medium, the temperature of which is to be regulated.

The valve controlling mechanism is inclosed within the casing 7, which provides a suitable chamber 8 therefor in communication with the closed tube 5, and which is connected by the pipe 10 with a of fuel supply, for instance, gas. The casing 7 is provided with a threaded aperture 11 into which is fitted the valve casing 12, connected by the union 13 with the pipe 14, leading to a suitable burner or other heat producing device, for heating the medium, contained in the vessel 6 in such a well known manner as to be unnecessary for detailed description.

The valve casing 12 is provided with the passageway 16, terminating at its inner end in a beveled seat 17 for the movable disk 18 whose stem 19 is mounted for reception in the tubular core 20 of the valve 12.

The valve disk 18 is provided with a threaded extension 21 adjustable axially therein and having a slotted head 22 engageable to be adjusted by an ordinary screw driver to vary the distance between the boss 23 on the inner surface of the valve disk and the head 22 of the said threaded extension. The valve disk 18 is arranged to be actuated by the depending lever 25, whose bifurcated free end 26 embraces the threaded stem 21, said lever being swung in pendulum fashion from the knife edged trunnion 27 projecting from the horizontally extending arm 28 of the bell-crank lever 29. Said lever 29 is pivoted at 30 in the casing 7, and has the vertical arm 31, extending substantially parallel with the wall of said casing and bear suitable source .ing against the adjusting screw 32 in threaded engagement with said Wall and arranged to be adjusted from without said casing by engagement'with its polygonal head 33. It will be obvious that any adjustment of the screw 32 will effect Oscillation of the bellcrank-lever 29 to shift the trunnion 27 in an are described about the axis of the pivot 30 to vary the position of fulcrum of the lever 25 with respect to the valve disk 18, and to consequently vary the extent-of move ment of said disk.

The lever 25 is arranged to be actuated by the rod whose coeflicient of expansion is relatively less than the closed tube 5. Said rod has its upper end abutted against the close end wall of the tube 5 and its lower pointed end engaging the notch 37 in the upper end of the lever 25 in a plane slightly to one side of a parallel plane .passing through the axis of oscillation of said lever.

It will be readily seen that when the closed tube 5 is effected by temperature changes of the medium in the vessel 6, its expansion or contraction will, through the rod 35, effect a swinging movement of the lever 25 in opposition to the spring 38 which tends to thrust said lever in a direction to close the valve disk 18.

The lever 25 is provided near its lower end with the boss 40 which carries the flat leaf spring 42, having its free end extended between the bifurcated end of said lever 25 and the head 22 of the threaded extension casing is provided with apertures closed by threaded plugs 45 and 46 in axial alinement with the spring 38 and the threaded extension 21, respectively, to provide means of access to said member.

It may be here noted that'when the rod 35 is forced downwardly and the spring 38 compressed, the leverage diminishes, and

conversely, when the rod 35 is forced upwardly, the leverage increases, thus giving the greatest speed of the parts when the valve disk is in a position adjacent to the valve sea-t.

In the operation of the device above described the coiiperative parts will occupy a position shown in Fig-4, and the gas supply valve to be held wide open as long as the temperature of the fluid to be controlled is below that to which the thermostat is adjusted. y j While the fluid is being raised to'the temperature at which the apparatus is adjusted the members pass through the position shown in Fig. 1, the valve disk being held open bythe spring 42. The further rise in temperature shifts the members to the position shown in Fig. 2, the valve being partly closed effects a throttling of the gas and a consequent difference of pressure upon opposite sides of the valve disk. WVhen the difference of pressure is suflicient to overcome the friction of the valve stem 19 in its tubular guide, its inertia and the pressure of the spring 42, the valve disk is popped or snapped shut. -When thus closed, said valve disk will require considerable force to pull it open as it is opposed by the friction of its guide, its inertia, and the full pressure of the gas combined. As the temperature of the medium in the vessel 6 drops, the lever 25 oscillates to the right in Fig. 1, compressing the spring 38- and spring 42 until the bifurcated end of said lever is ,forced against said spring 42, and positively forces the valve disk 18 from its seat." This slight movement reduces the friction and inertia and relieves the pressure so that the light leaf spring 42 effects a popping movement of said valve disk to 'the position shown-in Fig. 1.

' I do not desire to limit my invention to the precise details of construction and ar 'rangement herein set forth as it is obvious actuating lever, and a leaf spring secured at one end to said actuating lever and having the other end engaged with the means for controlling said heating agent with tensional energy suificient to quickly move;- said controlling means after having been started in motion.

2. In a heating system, the combination with a valve having a guide, of a valve disk having astem frictionallymovable in said guide, and having a shouldered extension, a thermostatically actuated lever having means adjustable to vary the position of its pivotal axis and having its free end arranged to move between the said valve disk and the shoulder of the said extension, a leaf spring secured at one end to said lever and having the other end engaged with said shoulder, ,and a spring tending to shift said lever to close said valve, said leaf spring being of such a tension as to be incapable of overcoming the friction of the ative to shift said valve disk at a speed greatly in excess of the actuating lever when so started inomotion, said leaf spring being of such length that its increase in tension due to flexing within the limits allowed by the movement of the end of the said lever between the valve disk and the shoulder,

will be less than the force of momentum gained by the valve disk When moved by In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

JOHN EDWIN FULVVEILER.

WVitnesses:

GEO. P. YARD, ANNETTA SMITH. 

